Global Google Play app downloads 2016-2021

In 2021, Google Play users worldwide downloaded 111.3 billion mobile apps, up from 76 billion apps in 2018. Generating significantly more downloads than it’s iOS counterpart, the Apple App Store, Android apps on Google Play are available for a wider range of devices than those catering to Apple's closed ecosystem.

Google’s app sales continue to climb

Google’s success was equally reflected in its app revenue which has steadily increased each year, reaching 38.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. Since 2019, the highest average number of apps released monthly on Google Play was 141.4 thousand in March 2019. Meanwhile, August 2021 saw the lowest number of apps released within the last two and a half years. Despite its success in the mobile app arena, the tech powerhouse still generates the vast majority of its revenues from advertising.

Social and dating apps are among most popular in 2021

In the first quarter of 2021, one year into the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, the number of available dating apps grew by nearly 24 percent. Meanwhile, travel apps saw relatively little growth during this period. Facebook-owned Instagram was the most downloaded Android app in July 2021. With travel restrictions still in place in many regions of the world, communication and social apps such as Snapchat, TikTok and Telegram also featured among the most popular apps downloaded that month.